Thursday, February 20, 2014

my long desired dining room table

First and foremost let me say that although pallets are free, they are terrible to take apart, they come in more that one standard size, and the slats are of varying thickness. That being said, if you have work gloves and some basic tools you too can make this...

No, wait, wrong picture. How about this one? The dining room table I have been dreaming about. This has been in my Try This file for ages.

I make no claims that I am a professional woodworker. I always seek advise from others first including Joseph (the Jewish Carpenter), Bob the Builder (who builds whole towns & his tools talk), or Bob Villa (enough said). I did however find a post on little paths so startled by simply Goggleing (that's not actually in my spell check) "wood pallet dining table." Here is a picture of hers, made by her husband.

I think I used 6 pallets or at least the equivalent of 6. I used the 2x4s from the pallets as legs and supports and the edges. I chose ones with those funny cut outs for the fork lift. I build that part upside down so it was all flush to the floor. That way when I flipped it the top supports were (mostly) all even.

When choosing the boards you want to use, make sure they are the same thickness otherwise you will end up with a bumpy table. Or you will end up fussing a lot more than necessary. I gave each board a good sanding with a power sander using 120 grit before assembling the top. Then again once it was assembled to even out the joints.

Tips:
pre-drill holes for nails
layout top BEFORE nailing
measure often with a tape measure that is LONGER than you table
gather MORE pallets than you will need
understand that this will NOT be perfectly straight or level
make sure you get to a point of no return and THEN enlist your husband for the really hard parts

Lastly, be willing to consider you may have a bonfire in the end instead of a family meal.

Followers

About Me

I am happily married to Kelly after loving him from a distance for almost 10 years. We have 2 great kids. Timothy is 12 and Rebekah is 7. I have tried almost every form of arts and crafts there is but my favorites are papercrafting, scrapbooking, quilting, and photography.